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How to find and change the settings for when Firefox Sync synchronizes?

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As the XMarks bookmark synchronizer has degraded to the point where it is unusable, I'm transferring my synchronization tasks to Firefox Sync. It seems to be working fine, but I would like to know the settings (and if possible be able to change them) that determine when it does synchronizations. Does it sync (a) Immediately and automatically, whenever a bookmark is changed? (b) When FF starts up or closes? (c) When I explicitly tell it to? (I know that (c) is true, since there is a "Sync now" menu option .) Where can I find this info?

~ Tx, Ken

As the XMarks bookmark synchronizer has degraded to the point where it is unusable, I'm transferring my synchronization tasks to Firefox Sync. It seems to be working fine, but I would like to know the settings (and if possible be able to change them) that determine when it does synchronizations. Does it sync (a) Immediately and automatically, whenever a bookmark is changed? (b) When FF starts up or closes? (c) When I explicitly tell it to? (I know that (c) is true, since there is a "Sync now" menu option .) Where can I find this info? ~ Tx, Ken

Saafara biñ tànn

a. Yes, Sync will contact the server almost immediately after a new bookmark is added. A slight delay is built-in to allow for adding multiple bookmarks quickly. b. Sync will contact the server upon the launch of Firefox to look for changes made on other devices connected to that Sync account. c. There is a Sync toolbar button sitting in the Customize pallette than can be used to "Sync on demand".

Jàng tontu lii ci fi mu bokk 👍 1

All Replies (4)

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hello ken, the answer is probably yes, yes and yes - for some detail on the issue/specification see: https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Features/Instant_Sync

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Saafara yiñ Tànn

a. Yes, Sync will contact the server almost immediately after a new bookmark is added. A slight delay is built-in to allow for adding multiple bookmarks quickly. b. Sync will contact the server upon the launch of Firefox to look for changes made on other devices connected to that Sync account. c. There is a Sync toolbar button sitting in the Customize pallette than can be used to "Sync on demand".

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Thanks. Is there any way to change these behaviors - for example, to disable immediate automatic sync? I don't think I want to change them right now, but under some circumstances (e.g. troubleshooting) I might.

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There are a number of hidden prefs that start with services.sync.scheduler. that can be tweaked to modify the various intervals.